UAE resident's murder 'may be political', family says

Family members suspect long-running feud with a rival party was at the root of Saturday's murder of UAE resident and prominent Pakistani Iftikhar Ahmed Khan.

AJMAN // Grieving members of the family of Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, a prominent Pakistani who was murdered in Ajman on Saturday, believe his killing may have been politically motivated and want answers about his death.

Khan, a former member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party, was shot dead in front of the Rashidiya tower while waiting in his car for his brother.

There were five holes in Khan's car but further information on the attack was slow in arriving, his nephew said.

The victim's family suspected that Khan, a former mayor in Pakistan, had fallen victim to a long-standing feud with a rival political party.

Khan had previously been a local party chief in the Haripur district, 200km from Peshawar, the nearest major city.

"He was planning on standing as a PMLN candidate in the national assembly elections in Pakistan next year and we believe that he may have been killed by political opponents," said Irfan Akhtar, Khan's nephew, who works with a UAE telecommunications firm.

"He was very popular with the people and this is possibly why he was targeted."

Mr Akhtar added: "We heard some people have been arrested by the police but we have no further details.

"We have been assured that the killers would be apprehended and justice would be rendered.

"However, we are shocked that this happened in the UAE, which is considered very safe."

Khan, 45, had been living in the UAE since 2008.

He had gone to a labour camp with his brother Zulfikar to visit a sick worker. Khan was waiting in the car for his brother, who had gone inside, when someone fired five shots at him, Mr Akhtar said.

"As soon as Zulfikar heard the gunshots he came running out but there was nobody at the scene," he said.

Police arrested an unspecified number of people who were being questioned by the CID, a security official said yesterday.

Jamil Ahmed Khan, Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, said his government would assist in the inquiry in any way possible.

"The crime happened in the UAE and their investigative authorities are looking into the matter," the ambassador said. "The Pakistani government will co-operate with the UAE investigation and provide details that they would need or request."

Ajman police declined to comment. They said releasing any information could alter the course of the investigation.

The family had moved to the UAE because of threats from rival political parties, Mr Akhtar said.

He claimed there had been previous attempts on the life of Khan and his relatives.

The victim was managing a construction company and a maintenance firm with his brother in Ajman when he was murdered.

"We cannot believe what has happened," Mr Akhtar said.

"His wife and three children are shattered by his death. We are waiting for the police to finish their investigations and release the body so we can go back to Pakistan for his funeral."

According to the Pakistani press, Khan was the main suspect in the September 2008 murder of Akhtar Nawaz Khan, a former provincial minister from the rival Awami National Party.

"He was framed for that murder," Mr Akhtar said.

"He was given exemption by the court because he was in the UAE at the time of the murder. He was allowed to travel on bail."

The PMLN aims to build a knowledge-based economy and an inclusive society based on Islamic teachings, according to its internet site. The party initially boycotted the 2008 general elections amid a dispute over President Pervez Musharraf's sacking of several judges during a period of emergency rule.

The party eventually took part in the poll and formed a coalition government with the Pakistan People's Party, signing an agreement that would reinstate the judges within 30 days. The PMLN ministers resigned from the government in May 2008, citing a disagreement related to the reinstatements.

* With additional reporting by Wafa Issa and Nadeem Hanif